Dan Whitley - Founder

Who We Are

The
Notable Youth Foundation is a non-profit organization
designed to preserve the musical talent that exists
within every child. From private music instruction to
exciting performance groups, The Notable Youth
Foundation is able to reach out to children in our
community who are in desperate need of the beauty
that the arts can bring into their lives.

Why We Do What We Do

During
the past two decades, the curricula of our public
school systems have undergone some dramatic changes.
One of the most noticeable and tragic changes has
been the steady diminution of fine art and music
instruction on both the elementary and secondary
school levels. Scholastic emphasis has shifted
strongly to favor mathematics and sciences in
education.

While
these are important areas of focus,
the values taught and learned through musical
instruction are sorely needed by our
youth.
Values such as: discipline, self-respect,
self-confidence, cooperation and teamwork, respect
for others, accountability, dedication and delayed
gratification are just some of the vital lessons
that our children are missing every day in which
the performing arts are absent from their
lives.

That
our youth are in need of the benefits inherent in
music education is evident. The rise in drug abuse,
gang activity and school violence are just a few
signs that our children need a constructive
alternative to the mindless entertainment and idle
activity that is so prevalent in today's society.
Children who are given an opportunity to belong to
a positive group or to dedicate themselves to a
creative discipline are more likely to manifest
their uniqueness through artistic expression rather
than self-destruction.
In fact, studies even show that quality arts
instruction heightens the learning process by
teaching literacy, improving reading skills and
boosting memory retention.

However,
there are other advantages to such instruction that
studies cannot show: advantages such as giving our
children a way to open the center or their creative
souls, allowing them to express their feelings and
realize their dreams, and bringing light and hope
back into their troubled lives.

Louie
Armstrong, in trouble at age nine, was given a
trumpet by his reform school. Albert Einstein, out
of control and expelled from school in the first
grade, was encouraged to play the violin by his
parents. The rest is history.

Over
two thousand years ago, Plato said, "Music is a
more potent instrument than any other for
education, and children should be taught music
before anything else." With funding for arts
education in public schools cut by 50% since 1981,
however, musical instruction is primarily available
only to those who seek community or private
lessons.
Because our youth must increasingly seek outside
sources of instruction in the performing
arts,
the
arts are slowly disappearing from their
lives.
Many families do not have the resources and/or the
time to provide their children with this important,
enriching aspect of a well-rounded
education.
This is where we, The Notable Youth Foundation,
come into play.

What You Can Do

We
invite you, the concerned members of the community,
to join with us in bringing music back into the
education of society's youth. Whether you wish to
participate by donating your time and talent, by
making a financial contribution, or by becoming
a
corporate sponsor,
the Notable Youth Foundation welcomes you to
participate. All contributions and proceeds
received from donations, services and performances
are tax deductible and are used to provide children
in need with musical instruments, lessons, and
performance experiences.

Thank
you so much for your interest and support. We look
forward to hearing from you soon!